1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for decorating fingernails and toenails with customized, detailed, multicolored designs using inkjet printing technology.
2. Description of Related Art
The conventional decoration of fingernails and toenails involves the use of nail polishes, which are applied using a small brush. Decals or appliques can be applied to the polished surface; these are typically affixed to the nail with glue or by the addition of a topcoat of clear polish. Airbrush painting through a stencil has been used to apply designs to nails. Artificial nails or nail tips applied to the natural fingernails are also used to provide decoration. U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,365 describes a system for cutting artificial nail tips and decorating them using automated cutting processes.
Recently inkjet technology has been suggested as a viable technique for placing decorations on fingernails. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,166, titled "Fingernail Decorating" and WO99/33372, titled "Nail Art Method And Device" which describe inkjet systems that are designed for putting a selected design on an individual finger. Although these approaches are superior to the traditional manual techniques, they still have the drawback of requiring the user to manually position each finger and then adjust the size of the decoration to fit within a specified rectangular region. These processes can be time consuming and lead to a less than optimum decoration. In addition, these systems are not suitable for applying colors, gradients and design patterns to the full nail surface because of the varying size and geometry of fingernails and toenails. There is a need for a device that can, with minimal user interaction, accurately apply to natural fingernails or artificial nails a highly detailed, multicolored, customized nail design that covers the entire nail and does not overlap onto the skin unless a user so desires.